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If your favorite thing about the summer months is barbecuing, then you’ve probably considered buying a meat smoker at some point. While a standard barbecue grill is wonderful for basic outdoor cooking, a smoker takes this art to the next level. If you’ve ever gone to your favorite barbecue restaurant and spent a lot of money on smoked meat, then you know just how good it is. Luckily, though, you don’t have to spend a small fortune whenever you want smoked meat at home. If you invest in your very own smoker, it pays flavor dividends almost immediately.
Smoking meat at home has become extremely popular in recent years, and it’s easy to understand why. With grocery prices continuing to rise precipitously, finding new affordable ways of preparing meals has virtually become an Olympic sport. There are both cost-related and culinary benefits to owning and using a barbecue smoker, and we think it’s worth shopping for the perfect model, especially in this economic environment.
Why are smokers becoming so popular?
We all enjoy eating out, especially at the aforementioned classic barbecue restaurant. Unfortunately, dinners out can get very expensive very quickly. Beef, pork, and poultry prices are rising along with all other food products. That means restaurant prices have to increase as well in order to maintain profits. If you buy your own smoker, you can take advantage of economies of scale just like the restaurants do. You can buy meat in bulk, then smoke and freeze it, which is cheaper and ultimately saves you meal prep time as well.
In addition to buying larger quantities of meat at lower prices, you can also buy less expensive cuts of meat. Smoking has a tenderizing effect. Therefore, the less costly, tougher cuts of meat turn out tender and delicious when you smoke them properly. It’s a dual-layer money-saving benefit.
Speaking of delicious, the flavor boost that smoking meats gives you is unlike what you get with almost any other cooking technique. The slow process of smoking allows meats to break down at the molecular level, making them exceptionally tender and juicy while infusing a light smoky flavor that’s incredibly pleasing. That same slow process is also helpful because it allows you to set your meat to smoke and walk away. It requires far less oversight and constant management than traditional grilling or griddle cooking. When choosing an at-home smoker, there are two types to choose from, which are offset smokers and cabinet smokers.
Offset smokers
Offset smokers look much more like a traditional grill. They are often barrel-shaped and have a large main grill area and a smaller, slightly lower wood-burning firebox off to the side and slightly lower than the primary grill. Smoke and hot air travel out of the firebox and waft across the meat in the main grill barrel. This process allows the meat to be smoked slowly over a period of several hours and requires only minimal intervention. Offset smokers are the choice of most barbecue traditionalists and are the style of smoker you’re most likely to see at your favorite outdoor roadside barbecue shack.
Royal Gourmet Charcoal Grill Offset Smoker
Laravist Dual Zone Offset Smoker
Costway Outdoor Offset Smoker
Cabinet smokers
Cabinet smokers, on the other hand, are more popular with at-home smoking enthusiasts. That’s because they’re perceived by most as easier to use. A cabinet smoker is exactly what you might imagine based on its name. It’s cabinet-shaped and typically vertically aligned. They have multiple racks that can easily be pulled out. The firebox on this type of smoker is positioned at the bottom, allowing the smoke to rise naturally, as opposed to horizontal smoking, which you get with an offset smoker. Cabinet smokers are popular because they have extremely high capacity in comparison with lower-capacity offset models.
Pit Boss 3 Gas Vertical Smoker
East Oak Electric Smoker
Costway Vertical Barbecue Smoker
If you’re looking for a way to save a little money during the summer barbecue season, there may be no better option than to buy your very own smoker. Not only will it allow you to save on your protein purchases, but it will also deliver some of the best-tasting meat you’ve ever made at home. Just be sure to save some leftovers for us.
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